Privatisation could come with sweeteners.

There is a long-established technique for privatisation. The service is run down to the point where any suggested change is welcome.The Conservatives are not fools They are not making a mistake by running down the NHS and starving it of funds. This is a part of the strategy to remodel the NHS to fit the needs of the international health care insurance companies and for profit health care providers

The creation of Accountable Care Systems rearranges the structure of the NHS to mimic the structure in the USA. There a city or region is organised as a heath care system then put out to the private heath insurers who bid to run it. If the UK signs a free trade deal with the US, US companies will be able to bid to run chunks of our NHS. This is not bidding to run some services as Virgin does now, its bidding to run the whole shebang.

The Government may still pay the Accountable Care System from taxation to keep it free at the point of need but it would be organised to make profit not to give care. Think of the rail privatisation. The government still pays for the railways, companies run the franchises ans take a profit but the main cost is to the government. On the railways our taxes subsidise the profits for the companies and we have an inefficient expensive service. In the same way the Government could be paying for health care but a big chunk of the cost would go in profit.

The Accountable Care System is one where the whole health system can be measures by an accountant. It is a money measure. To keep within that money limit, some services are rationed and not provided to patients. This is already happening here with limits on treatments say for IVF in some areas and some restrictions on IVF based on weight of mother or father. In the Chester area this is accompanied by an increase in the private provision of IVF for those who can pay.

Some times the health insurance companies will put in a sweetener to make sure they get the bid, perhaps to pay for a new hospital.

The NHS is the largest integrated health care system in the western world. It spends a huge amount each year. In 2014 before this governments policies really took hold it was the most efficient in the western world

Many companies would pay up front money for even a slice of that cake. The long-term prospect of running the whole NHS is Christmas come early to the big companies

But running a health care system is not the only prize. The NHS has an enormous bank of data on patients and treatments which is priceless to the big pharmaceutical companies

Liverpool and Merseyside are especially valuable to the private health sector because our people are more likely to suffer illness arising from poverty and so have multiple illness. This is potentially hugely valuable data for companies that want to produce drugs people will need to take for the rest of their lives. Cures have less financial benefit to the pharmaceutical companies.

So beware the big companies bearing gifts. Our health is not their purpose.

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